Safe In My Arms
by AlwaysEachOther
Summary: "He asked me about Claire." A companion piece with alternate ending for 3.15 Good Intentions. Michael and Fiona fluff.


_Hi guys! This is companion piece for another one of my favourite episodes, Good Intentions. I'm a sucker for episodes where Fiona either does missions solo, or Michael is scared of losing her, and this episode has both! I have used several lines from the episode that I obviously do not own, and then reworked the ending of the episode to how I would have liked to see it. Any lines I have borrowed from the show belong to Matt Nix and the writers. I hope you enjoy this one, please leave me a review and let me know what you think!_

/

 _Sometimes, as an operative, you accept a job that you know you shouldn't. These jobs can give you the wrong feeling in your entire body, but you just know you have to do it. You often can't turn off your sense of morality and desire to save those who may suffer._

Michael and Sam sat in the Charger, watching the house that Fiona was in with Gabriel, the man that she was doing a job for with the intention of bringing him down. What had started as a job for pay had turned into an attempt to rescue a kidnapped man. Michael had made his displeasure about her decision very clear, but he knew from years of experience that no one could stop Fiona Glenanne from doing something she had her mind set on.

" _If someone is willing to kill you over a passport, you walk away, Fi."_

" _I don't need your permission."_

" _That passport won't be the last time he tests you. We might not be able to save you the next time."_

Sam had done his part by creating a diversion in the front yard, which had hopefully given Fi enough time to search the house. The two men were now waiting, which was a regular aspect of operative work, although both of them were chewing on gum, a giveaway sign of nerves.

Michael peered intently through his binoculars, waiting for Fiona to exit the house and enter his field of vision. His heart dropped as he took in the sight of her with two of the buttons on her shirt undone.

"Oh, Mike, does she-" Sam asked, knowing the small woman's message already.

"Two buttons down. She's in trouble." Michael clarified, managing to keep his voice controlled, though his chest was already tightening.

The two friends watched as Fi and Gabriel climbed into a car that quickly sped off, its tyres squealing loudly as it turned the corner sharply. Michael's face shifted to his controlled version of shock as he watched the vehicle disappear.

"Jesus, if he's driving like that we can't follow him." Sam pointed out.

"I know!" Michael answered in frustration. He understood the direness of the situation perfectly.

"Maybe we can pick them back up on the way through." Sam suggested, his mind already considering ways to help their Irish friend.

"If they come back through." Michael slid his sunglasses on and began to shift the car into gear.

"I know a back way that runs along that road. It's over there." Sam began to direct him.

The charger roared to life as Michael jumped into action, following the path that Sam suggested. He drove faster than he usually did, which was saying something. The whole time he drove, thoughts of Fiona filled his mind. He knew she was in trouble, but how much trouble? Fi could handle a lot on her own, so if she was signalling for help, she must be serious. His heart thumped inside his chest as he swerved the car around a bend, focused on his one goal; getting to her.

He turned the charger down to a small marina, throwing it into park and leaping from his seat. He raised the binoculars to his eye, his heart dropping even further when he immediately spotted Gabriel standing with his gun trained directly on Fi.

"Damn!" Michael reacted, turning back towards the car, but Sam grabbed his arm.

"No, Mike, sit tight."

"He's gonna kill her, Sam." Michael grabbed his gun from his waistband and raised it.

"You're not gonna hit the guy from here with a pistol. She's better off handling this on her own." The older man tried to rationalise with his younger partner. He too cared for Fiona, but he knew Michael was not thinking straight, as he often didn't when it came to the Irish woman, and would end up doing more harm than good.

 _The hardest thing to do when an operation goes bad is nothing at all. It's pure torture. But if it's the only way to give a team member a chance at survival, you have no choice but to stand by and watch._

Michael growled in frustration as he realised the ex-SEAL was right. He lowered his weapon, turning away before grabbing the binoculars again. He could barely watch the scene unfolding in front of him, but he had to know what was happening. Fiona getting hurt was bad enough, but watching it happen right before his eyes when he was unable o stop it was practically Michael's worst nightmare come to life.

He held his breath as he waited for what were only a few minutes, but felt like hours. He couldn't lose her. It hadn't been too long since her scrape with O'Neil, since he'd almost lost her. It was at that point he'd truly realised how much he needed her. He knew if he lost her now he'd never recover from it.

Gabriel finally lowered his weapon, and Michael felt like he could breathe again. He lowered his binoculars but continued to watch as Fiona followed Gabriel back to the car.

She was still in danger, but she was alive. Michael just didn't know for how long.

/

Alone for the first time since she and Gabriel left the house, Fiona dialled Michael's number on the phone she had lifted from a woman's bag. She knew she didn't have much time, aware that Gabriel had sent one of his security guys after her.

Fortunately, Michael answered immediately. _"Fi? You in the hotel?"_

"It doesn't matter." She told him. "We're not staying. The hostage wasn't at Gabriel's house."

" _Forget about the hostage. Do what you have to do, but get out of there."_

"He's not letting me out of his sight until I help kidnap an executive from Apex Industries. Once I do, he's going to kill the hostage." She filled him in.

" _How long before he kills the hostage?"_ he asked, and she knew he was recapping for Sam.

"About three hours. He's taking me back to the house to change. Help me stop this." She almost pleaded. She really regretted getting involved in this.

" _Alright, tell me what's in your bag. Hurry, before he gets suspicious."_ Michael's mind started working, as always, although she could sense his concern, even over the phone.

"Sunglasses, duct tape and a lipstick."

" _Okay, we can work with that. I'm gonna leave you a package at the house, same way we used to do the drops in Dublin. I'm not going to risk losing you again, Fi."_

Ordinarily, hearing him say such a thing would set her insides on fire, but the situation was far too dire to celebrate Michael confessing his feelings.

She hung up the phone, knowing she needed to get back before Gabriel sent someone in for her. She trusted Michael with her life, even Sam, but she really hoped they had something up their sleeves.

/

She wasn't disappointed. Sam had left her a lipstick on the tyre of Gabriel's car, just as she and Michael had done so many times before. When she and Gabriel arrived back at the hotel, Michael showed up with a clipboard, rambling about health inspections. He really did have a flair for the dramatic. He set a fire as a diversion that forced everyone to leave, and the mission to become compromised. While she breathed a sigh of relief, Gabriel certainly didn't. He took her to the place he was holding the hostage, where she managed to create a distraction of her own to release the man he was holding captive, and turn the tables on Gabriel.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you kill an innocent man." She told him as she held her gun on him.

"What are you talking about, 'innocent'? My daughter was innocent! The children his company is killing, they are innocent! Who's protecting them, huh?"

She started walking hum back into the enclosure where he had kept his hostage, but he continued to appeal her.

"What would you have done for Claire? How far would you have gone?" Gabriel challenged her.

"Get inside." She bit out, forcing him backwards into the enclosure. She would not let him to continue to torment her about her little sister.

"That's right, we're the same, you and me. The only difference are the circumstances." He watched as Fi swung the door shut, locking it tightly. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Fiona stared back at him through the wire. "The police will be here soon." She said simply.

"I can't go to jail. You know that. Everything I've worked for will be wasted!"

"Goodbye Gabriel. Maybe someday-"

"There's not going to be a someday." He interrupted her. "I only have one thing to live for, and now that's gone!" He called after Fiona as she turned and walked away from him. He bashed his hands against the metal side of the cage, knocking away the wooden piece that had been acting as a barrier. Sparks began to rise, running along the enclosure and into the rest of the room.

"What are you doing?!" Fiona screamed as she ran back towards him, watching the flames begin to spread. She pulled at the lock frantically, trying to undo her previous actions.

"Give me the keys! Let me help you!" She begged him.

"You want to help me? Go back down to Argentina and tell them that I failed!" Gabriel yelled back at her. "Tell them that they're on their own!" He was a man waiting for death, unable to see the point in living.

Fiona pulled the pin from her hair and set about picking the lock. Gabriel kept screaming at her to leave as she worked, kicking the sides of the cage in an attempt to deter her.

At that point, Michael and Sam entered the building with their guns drawn. They rounded the corner just in time to witness the first explosion of fire. The two of them watched in shock as the golden red flames filled the air.

"Fi!" Michael cried out, his face set in a look of horror. He began to run towards the flames, intent on saving her. Sam was right behind him, pulling him back.

"Mike, what are you doing?" The older man tried to stop his best friend.

"Get him clear!" Michael gestured to the man who had been kidnapped and kept hostage.

"No, goddamn it! You're gonna suffocate in there!" Sam argued.

Michael didn't care. "I'll get Fi. You get him out." He left no room for argument this time as he ran into the inferno.

"You're not out in one minute, I'm coming after ya!" Sam called after him. He turned back to the man in the wheelchair, pushing him away from source of the heat.

Michael ran into the large room, dodging fiery beams as they began to fall to the ground. He spotted Fiona immediately, running to her side as she struggled with the lock.

"Fiona! We're going now!" His harsh, frantic tone and use of her full name was enough to display his fear. He grabbed her arm, ready to pull her away and run.

"No! I'm not leaving without him!" She fired back at Michael, refocusing on the lock.

At her words, Gabriel knew she wasn't going to give up. He pushed himself against the back of the enclosure, letting the flames dance up and attach themselves to him. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate. At least he would be seeing his beloved daughter again.

Michael and Fiona watched in horror as Gabriel fell to the ground, paralysed by the heat of the blaze enveloping his body.

"No!" Fiona screamed, working at the lock even more persistently.

"Fi, there's nothing we can do!" Michael tried to convince her. Realising his girlfriend wasn't about to give up; he grabbed her and swung her up into his arms, running out of the room. Fortunately her small stature, combined with the suffocating effects of the burning inferno, was no match for his larger, stronger frame.

He ran faster than he knew was possible, focusing on the door that would lead them to safety. They managed to make it out seconds before the explosions took on a life of their own, encompassing the entire building and leaving nothing in their wake.

When they reached the outside of the building, Michael began to lower Fiona to the ground, tightening his grip on her as she lost her balance. Noticing her shallow breathing and flushed skin, he lowered her even further to lie on the concrete, kneeling beside her.

"Fi!" He cupped her cheek in his palm, forcing her to make eye contact. He was overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu, remembering these exact positions they'd taken after he pulled her from the water with a bloody arm wound following her encounter with O'Neil. "Fi, please." He begged.

Fiona let out a few hacking coughs before drawing in a deep breath, finally meeting Michael's eyes. "I'm fine." She rasped.

Michael dropped his forehead to hers, overcome with relief. "Thank God." He muttered. He held her to him tightly as he thanked the universe that he hadn't lost her again.

Fiona reached up weakly to hook one of her arms around his neck. "Sorry." She whispered.

"It's okay." Michael whispered back. "You're okay."

/

A while later, Michael entered Fiona's bedroom, carrying a glass of water and some painkillers. He smiled softly at the sight of her curled up on the bed, surrounded by the white duvet she was so fond of. Setting the items down on the bedside table, he settled himself next to her, pulling her into his embrace. She shifted herself so that her head rested against his firm chest, letting herself be comforted by his presence. She was an independent person, but after the day she'd had, she definitely wanted Michael with her.

They laid together in silence for a while, both silently thanking the universe that they were with each other. It had been a long day. For Michael, the events of the day had left him in a permanent state of tension. While their little team were in no way strangers to dangerous situations, anything that put Fi directly in harm's way was high on his list of fears. The fact that it hadn't been long since her experience with O'Neil had also contributed to his worries.

"He asked me about Claire." Fiona's voice cut through the silence, causing Michael to look down at her. His heart constricted as he took in her facial expression. She rarely spoke about her little sister, but Michael knew the pain still affected her so many years later.

He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her hair. "I'm sorry." He told her, unsure of what else to say. Whenever they'd previously discussed Claire, Fi had never gone into great detail.

"He knew everything. He pulled my Interpol file, knew about how she died, asked me why I'd done the things I have… I told him it was revenge." Her soft, flat tone was more than a little unnerving. "Then I told him something I'd never told anyone before." She closed her eyes against the stray tears that were beginning to form. The pain caused by Claire's death had never healed; she simply pushed it deep down inside her. It was a tactic that worked fairly well, until something brought it back to the surface.

"Is that what made him lower his gun?" Michael questioned softly.

She nodded wordlessly, her eyes still closed tightly.

He wasn't sure if he should ask what it was she'd said. This type of situation between the two of them was unfamiliar, and she'd certainly been through enough that day already. He opted to stay silent, pressing another kiss to her temple in an act of comfort.

"We had a fight, the night before she…" Fiona took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions that were rising to the surface. "I never got to apologise to her. She never knew how sorry I was."

"She knows, Fi." Michael whispered comfortingly. "She knows how much you love her too."

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, afraid to let her tears fall. "He said I was just like him, and he's right." She whispered, unable to hide the distress from her voice any longer.

Michael tightened his arms around her. "You are nothing like him, Fi, you know that."

"Yes, I am Michael. I've killed in her name. I've done terrible things." She gasped the words out as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"We've all done terrible things Fi, but that's not what defines us. You've taught me that."

"I told her I wished she was dead … and then she was." Fiona sobbed.

Michael tightened his arms around her small frame as she buried her face further into his chest. Years worth of pain and tears poured out of her as she sought comfort from the only man she had ever loved. Part of her felt ashamed for acting so vulnerable, but she honestly couldn't bring herself to care.

Michael felt an intense need to hold her for as long as she would let him, to protect her from all the hurt she'd been put through.

After awhile, Fi's sobs died down, and the room was filled with silence once more. The only sound was her ragged breathing as she focused on Michael's hand stroking through her hair.

"I'll never understand why she was the one to die." Her whisper brought Michael back to attention. "She was the well behaved daughter, the good child and the baby. She was so beautiful. I remember telling God he should have taken me instead." She squeezed her eyes shut to stop a lone tear from slipping out.

Michael's grip on her tightened. "No, Fi, don't say that."

She turned her face back into his chest, falling silent once more.

Michael sighed out a deep breath, running a hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her as he searched for the right words to say.

"Fi …" He cleared his throat before continuing. "I know how much Claire's death affected you, and I'm so sorry that happened to you. But if you'd been the one to die … I never would have met you. And I don't want to know what my life would look like without you."

Fiona slowly turned her head so that her chin was resting on his chest, and her eyes connected with his. She brought one hand up to caress his jaw.

"I'm sorry I made you worry today." She whispered.

He shook his head at her apology. "It's okay. As long as you're alright."

She nodded, before tilting her head to press a kiss to his chest. She looked back at him, her expression hesitant.

"Stay with me for a bit?"

Michael's chest clenched at her uncertainty.

"Of course." He replied softly. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Relax now, Fi. Everything's okay."

She settled herself back down, letting the sound of his heart beating under her ear and the feel of his hand on her back soothe her. He was the only man who had ever been able to comfort her like this, the only man she had let comfort her. For a man who was typically not in touch with his emotions, he was good at being there for her when she needed it.

"Thank you, Michael." She whispered, hoping he would understand just how much she meant it. That she meant it for more than just saving her earlier.

"Anytime, Fi." His reply came softly.

Michael continued the steady strokes of his hand until her breathing evened out and she surrendered to sleep. He wasn't one for believing in a higher power, but he thanked whoever was listening that she was safe in his arms. Sam, Gilroy and everything else could wait for now. Nothing was more important than her.


End file.
